A British chef was among those killed in the devastating New Zealand earthquake.

Gregory Tobin, 25, from Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, died when the quake tore apart Christchurch on South Island earlier this week.

Two Britons are among the 103 people now confirmed to have died in the catastrophic 6.3-magnitude tremor.

Mr Tobin, who attended Tadcaster Grammar School, had been on a round the world trip and was believed to have been working temporarily at a garage in Christchurch.

Friends left tributes to him on Facebook. One read: "Such a nice guy and at such a young age." Another read: "Sad times ... I can't believe it."

Some 228 people are still missing and hopes of pulling anyone else out of the rubble alive have diminished.

But hundreds of rescuers from across the globe, including a 55-strong search and rescue team drawn from the British emergency fire and rescue services, continue to scour Christchurch's shattered downtown district as the search for survivors continues.

Harrowing tales are continuing to emerge from the devastation.

In one incident, an Australian doctor visiting the city for a medical conference amputated a trapped man's legs using only a hacksaw and a multi-purpose tool. The victim was not under a full general anaesthetic when his legs were amputated but he was heavily sedated. The doctor was too traumatised to talk about the amputation.

The Foreign Office is working with the local authorities, police and hospitals to get more information about the large number of British people living in the area.